Publications

21 Jan 2009
First Look

First Look: January 21, 2009

(Available in Mandarin only.) Abstract This is a text and case book for the Chinese business higher education market. It is a combination of seven chapters (six original ones) covering China's financial markets, governance in the global... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

July 2015
Exercise

An Activist Approach: Confidential Role Assignment for Castle Rock Management

By: Guhan Subramanian and Kait Szydlowski

A three party, multiple-issue negotiation exercise dealing with a potential merger between two leading department stores, called for by an activist investor hedge fund in a letter to both companies. Company management will now attempt to navigate next moves, which are... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation; Activist Investors; Takeover Defense; Negotiation Types; Mergers and Acquisitions; Corporate Governance; Investment Activism; Retail Industry

February 1991 (Revised November 2010)
Case

Tennessee Controls: The Strategic Ranking Problem

By: Robert L. Simons and Dale Geiger

Tennessee Controls has instituted a new formal asset acquisition process to rank competing proposals. Judy Starnes, the new division manager, is asked to rank three proposals by using techniques to quantify economic returns, risk, as well as the credibility of the... View Details

Keywords: Capital Budgeting; Governance Controls; Management Systems; Strategic Planning; Mathematical Methods; Electronics Industry

November 2006
Background Note

U.S. Taxation of Foreign-Source Corporate Income

By: Henry B. Reiling

Identifies several of the problems and policy choices associated with taxing foreign-source income. Examples are given of the practical after-tax effects of the major alternatives. Foreign tax credit and "tax haven" based business activities receive special attention.... View Details

Keywords: Earnings Management; Credit; Policy; Taxation; Problems and Challenges; United States

Find at Harvard

24 Apr 2014
News

Balance work on your business and in your community

Marlin Miller, Jr. (MBA 1956), cofounder and director of Norwich Ventures, on balancing working on your business and working for your community. (Published April 2014) View Details

April 2009 (Revised June 2010)
Case

U.S. Subprime Mortgage Crisis: Policy Reactions (B)

By: Laura Alfaro and Renee Kim

In March 2009, the U.S. economy was in a severe recession not seen since the Great Depression after the subprime mortgage crisis had spiraled out of control. The situation had dramatically changed in one year since the Federal Reserve Board had helped to bailout... View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Central Banking; Mortgages; Globalized Economies and Regions; Policy; United States

November 2003 (Revised November 2015)
Case

Brazil at the Wheel

By: Geoffrey Jones

Taught in the second-year MBA elective on the Evolution of Global Business. Examines the costs and benefits of the Brazilian government's policies to encourage foreign multinationals to develop an automobile industry during the 1950s. A combination of incentives and... View Details

Keywords: Foreign Direct Investment; Multinational Firms and Management; Policy; Government and Politics; Business History; Business and Government Relations; Auto Industry; Brazil

2008
Chapter

The Importance of Default Options for Retirement Saving Outcomes: Evidence from the United States

By: John Beshears, James J. Choi, David Laibson and Brigitte C. Madrian

This paper summarizes the empirical evidence on how defaults impact retirement savings outcomes. After outlining the salient features of the various sources of retirement income in the U.S., the paper presents the empirical evidence on how defaults impact retirement... View Details

Keywords: Saving; Financial Condition; Retirement; Investment Funds; Microeconomics; Outcome or Result; Government and Politics; Financial Institutions; Macroeconomics; United States

February 2008 (Revised April 2009)
Case

Chronology of the Asian Financial Crisis

By: Laura Alfaro, Rafael Di Tella and Renee Kim

In July 1997, Thailand became the first Asian "tiger" economy to abandon its fixed exchange rate system in response to speculative attacks on its currency. Investors started to flee Asia, and the crisis rapidly spread to other countries. Central banks spent billions of... View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Currency Exchange Rate; Central Banking; Policy; Crisis Management; Asia; Thailand

March 2025 (Revised April 2025)
Case

Dominion Voting Systems v. Fox News

By: Vincent Pons, Jesse M. Shapiro, Bharat Anand and Susan Pinckney

The case examines the Dominion Voting Systems and Fox News defamation settlement based upon statements made on air in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. View Details

01 Sep 2011
News

Charged Up

company opened a lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant in Livonia, Michigan, thanks in large part to $249 million in financing from President Obama’s stimulus package, with a second plant coming online in Romulus, Michigan. “The... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; batteries; Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing; Manufacturing

29 Jul 2013
News

Opening New Markets for Black South African Winemakers

of that, the South African government took notice and responded by negotiating a land purchase for the Seven Sisters, who until that point owned no vineyards and had to contract farmers and a winery to grow grapes. Now Walmart wants to... View Details

Keywords: wine; wine making; wine importing; Food Manufacturing; Manufacturing; Food and Beverage Stores; Retail Trade

19 Jul 2011
News

Brightening the Future

in working with government and NGO players to get his hybrid solar network up and running. “To have large scale and sustainable impact in helping the poor, it is essential to enlist the power of business and the markets in a way that... View Details

Keywords: Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations; Personal Services

07 Dec 2010
First Look

First Look: Dec. 7

equity (share issues). If there are no perfect substitutes for equity finance, payout taxes may therefore have an effect on the investment of firms. High taxes will favor investment by firms that can finance internally. Using an... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

24 Sep 2021
Blog Post

Is the MBA Worth It? Hear What Recent HBS Grads Have to Say (Part 2)

2019) is the Senior Director of Digital Talent/Strategy and Instructor at Barry’s If you were to describe your HBS experience in 3 words what would they be? Epic, amazing, and transformational. Was an HBS MBA worth it? 10000% worth it. As I reflect back on navigating... View Details

June 2020
Teaching Note

Generation Investment Management

By: Vikram S. Gandhi and Sarah Mehta

This teaching note provides guidance for teaching the case “Generation Investment Management” (820-033), which looks at the challenges facing a sustainable investment firm. View Details

April 1991 (Revised December 1997)
Case

Southland Corp. (A)

By: Richard S. Ruback

Examines the Thompson's $4.9 billion leveraged buyout of the Southland Corp. in 1987. As the original founders of Southland, the Thompsons were concerned about losing control over the company upon learning of the Belzberg family's acquiring interest. The teaching... View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Governance Controls; Corporate Governance; Bids and Bidding; Valuation; Forecasting and Prediction; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Strategy; Cash Flow